Ice rink, festival street among plans for Village of East Davenport

The City of Davenport has released a final master plan for the Village of East Davenport, and Thursday, business owners in the historic neighborhood said they are looking to the future.

Tracy Pettett has owned The Added Touch in the Village for three decades. She’s seen many changes over the years, and hopes more are on the horizon.

“We actually do not have a fine dining restaurant, where you could go in, have a meal with your family. I think that would be nice to add for the evening,” said Pettett.

A fine dining restaurant is just one of the ideas in the nearly 100-page plan. Other suggestions include improving “walkability” by turning alleys into pedestrian walkways, creating a festival street along Christie Street, and extending the Village atmosphere to the Mississippi with a riverfront promenade.

“I would like to see more retail. I think that helps all of us to become more of a destination,” said Jennifer Chen, owner of The Plaid Rabbit.

More commercial diversity tops the City’s list as well. The plan includes suggestions such as a boutique hotel, specialty retail and professional offices.

“There’s a lot of nightlife here, which is great, but I think we need some diversity in the nightlife, too,” said Chen.

Historical markers and an ice skating rink are also among the ideas, but business owners know the plan is only a first step.

“I can see where this is an awesome idea, it looks fabulous on paper. But we need to figure out where that kind of funding would be coming from,” said Pettet.

The City says it will begin using the plan as a resource guide immediately, and staff will be meeting with business owners and residents over the coming weeks to work on ways to implement the ideas.